A new community for me - SCBWI!

Woo Hoo!  A new adventure coming up!!  I recently joined the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).  It is something I have been thinking about doing ever since I started the process of creating my book, but didn't consider myself an illustrator so didn't join.  I am still not sure about giving myself that designation, but now that I have a book, and am planning on another one, I feel a bit closer to it.  And I'd really love to meet others who love creating books for kids.

Soooo, I have registered for the SCBWI winter conference in New York next month.  Eep!  Talk about jumping in blindly!  At least when I went to my first SAMA conference, I had been making friends online for years and felt at home immediately upon arrival.  This will be a completely new experience for me to go without knowing anybody, but from what I can tell reading about previous conferences, these members are an extremely friendly and playful bunch and I think I will easily fit right in.

I am currently getting my portfolio together as I've never had a physical one before.  My presentation folder is being handmade and customized for me and it is going to be so beautiful, I can hardly wait!!  And I just ordered new postcards and business cards so I'll be good to go.  I haven't been to New York in more than 20 years, so I'm excited to be there once again.  I'm really looking forward to what this new adventure brings!

A heartwarming way to share my book

A couple of nights ago I read my book to a group of children living at Transition House, a shelter and resources for the homeless.  The entrance has beautiful stained glass doors, immediately welcoming and familiar!

The questions and comments during story time were priceless. My favorite comment, however, came from a boy who, after I told them my family was in the book, looked at the page where my husband gets a new guitar and said excitedly, “Your husband met SANTA?!” After I read the story, I met each one and put their name in a book for them to keep. The 25 books were donated by a very generous coworker of my husband’s.  Thank you Andrew!!

What I love to now imagine is them going to bed with their books and believing in the magic of Santa.  I hope all of you have a magical Christmas, too!!

Transition House is dedicated to the solution of family homelessness in the Santa Barbara community.  Capable and motivated families with children are offered respectful, non-sectarian residential services and the life skills needed to alleviate their poverty, and to restore self-sufficiency and dignity.

A Goodreads Review

On my dear friend's piano (my son painted
the Santa when he was five)

Just wanted to share this review I received on Goodreads this week.  I had a book giveaway and one of the recipients posted this review:

 

This new 2013 edition is illustrated with talented Christine Brallier’s absolutely stunning stained glass mosaics. The accomplished artwork gives the familiar Christmas poem a warm and antique look. I know nothing about making stained glass mosaics, so was delightfully surprised to discover that this medium can portray movement so convincingly (unlike the frozen-stiff figures so often seen on church windows.) The pages are full of details that invite the reader to linger, such as the patterns on Santa’s hood and on the reindeer blankets, the long white strips of glass that make up Santa’s beard and the reindeers’ manes, and the stripes in the cat’s tail. 

The cats are a particular delight, especially the grey and white cat modeled on the artist’s cat Raymi. For a story-within-a-story, follow this feline through the pages of the poem for the cat’s perspective on the Christmas Eve happenings. Note her realistic poses and behavior: curled up on her owner’s bed and completely oblivious to the mouse sleeping in the living room wreath; peering out the window to check on the clatter on the lawn; diving to hide under an armchair as Santa appears in the fireplace; peeking out curiously from under the chair; cautiously considering Santa’s outstretched hand; batting the side of Santa’s chair as Santa strums the guitar; clawing Santa’s beard; and finally curled up again on the bed, purring and kneading and dreaming about those perfect cat toys Santa just delivered. There are also other wonderful cats shown in the framed photos on the wall of the house. 



On the shelves at Chaucer's Bookstore

Recommended for children of all ages including pre-readers, for art lovers, for cat lovers, and for just about everyone else except Grinch and Scrooge. I’m sure our copy will become a treasured family Christmas book, brought out every year along with the holiday decorations. 

 

Thank you so much, Alexandra!

My book is available here.

Book Review!

Hooray!  My first book review, how wonderful.  Much gratitude to Tasha Saecker at the blog, Waking Brain Cells, where she reviews books for children and teens.  Head over there to read her review of my book and if you're a fan of children's books, there's plenty to explore there!  Her review of my book is here.

About Tasha from her blog:  My name is Tasha Saecker, and I am the Assistant Director of the Appleton Public Library in Appleton, WI. I started my library career over 20 years ago as a children’s librarian, and continue to be connected to books for children and young adults.
I hope in Waking Brain Cells, you find a warm, friendly place where books for children and teens are celebrated.

Thanks, Tasha!!

Priority Shipping Now Available

Want to get your copy of my book delivered by Christmas?  Priority shipping now available on my web site.  Order soon, Christmas is nearly here!

My book is available here.  Happy Holidays!

Goleta Family School Holiday Marketplace

Last night I signed and sold my book at the Goleta Family School Holiday Marketplace.  I had a table in one of the two classrooms next to these wonderful self portraits (love the one with the fangs!)

Not only did I sell a lot of books, but I did some holiday shopping of my own and came home with many hand made ornaments and magnets made by children (my favorite kind of art!!)

I felt right at home the moment I walked up and saw this mosaic-covered boulder.  :)

GVAA Holiday Show

Another fun event, the annual Goleta Valley Art Association's holiday show, Picassos for Peanuts, was this week where the GVAA members exhibit and sell their art at the Goleta Library.  It is an opportunity to purchase beautiful art for under $300, making it the perfect place for holiday shoppers!  There were also notecards, silk screened cloths, handmade jewelry, and in my case, my book! 

I haven't exhibited much with GVAA over the past four years since I've been working on the book, so it was really fun to be able to show the other members what I had been creating all that time.  Plus, the cat mosaic I was exhibiting sold, yay me (though I will miss that particular one, a pink version of my cat, Raymi).


How can viewing art, chatting with interesting people, and snacking on peppermint bark not be a good time?! 

If you missed the opening reception, you can still purchase the art until January 4, 2014, when it will be taken down.  I even got to put up another mosaic in place of pink Raymi if you want another opportunity to buy one of my mosaics for under $300!